


Never Spoken, Always Heard

by frozenCinders



Category: Bx: Execute (OFF Fangame)
Genre: Alcoholism (assumed), Attempted Suicide, CSRverse, M/M, Overdose, Suicidal Ideation, the attempt is offscreen and in the past, the preceding tags are heavily implied but not graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26344444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozenCinders/pseuds/frozenCinders
Summary: There are a lot of things Lenny would like to hear from Lepi, even if he already knows them.
Relationships: Lepi/Borbo | Lenore Thaddeus
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Never Spoken, Always Heard

**Author's Note:**

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> **if you've opened this without reading the tags, i'd like to urge you to please go back and check them**
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Lepi has a bad habit of doing whatever he likes with little consideration for how he may be perceived. Most of the time, his intentions are innocent, even if the end results of his efforts are very much not. He sees something that only he can change-- or "fix"-- and he goes right ahead and does just that, solely because he can. He never thinks that the subject will be miserable because of him, or will be frightened by his power, or even affronted by the way he just inserts himself into their business to fix a problem that has nothing to do with him.

Lenny is plenty miserable on his own and has forgotten what real fear is like, leaving only the third option for him. A long time ago, when his downward spiral began, he would have done anything at all for someone to want to take care of him. If he'd met Lepi back then, he probably would have fallen head over heels and clung to him like how he claims everything else in the world does.

It's been an obscenely long time since then, however. Lenny's mind doesn't work quite like it should, leaving him unable to take much kindness without becoming aggravated. It doesn't help that Lepi insists he isn't being kind, that he doesn't care, that he isn't helping-- all the while, he's trying to take care of his "worst enemy". He is infuriating in all kinds of ways, yet Lenny still finds himself fascinated by him. Maybe his ability to make Lenny _feel_ to any degree is impressive.

Upon exiting his room for the first time today, Lenny discovers that Lepi is falling into that habit of his again. He stares quietly as he watches Lepi ration the amount of alcohol in Lenny's kitchen, no doubt planning to hide most of it. He clears his throat as a way of announcing himself, and Lepi freezes before turning to face him, three full bottles of wine in his arms.

"Can I at least choose which one I'm allowed to keep, you incorrigible babysitter?" he asks, no hint of his usual playfulness present.

"... Fine. Choose," Lepi allows, outright proving Lenny's assumption correct.

"You realize I can just get more, right?" Lenny reminds him. "Your efforts are futile as well as unneeded. You've misinterpreted the situation, anyway."

"And how exactly have I misinterpreted what I saw myself?"

"It isn't usually that bad. What you saw was a special case."

"Special how?"

If Lenny tells him about the pills he'd taken with the alcohol, he'd surely attempt to confiscate those, too.

"It was... a very bad day," he says-- a half-truth.

Lepi sets the bottles on the nearest counter and lingers there for a moment before slinking away to confront Lenny.

"And, what? Stress has that drastic of an effect on you?"

"No. I wouldn't call it stress at this point, anyway. Nothing can take an amount of stress so massive without permanently bending to accommodate it."

"Then what?"

"Hm. Misery? Brain damage, even?"

"Then..."

"There's no point in trying to figure out a broken brain like mine. Save yourself the time and the effort," Lenny advises.

"No, I..." Lepi pauses and then rolls his eyes for some reason, apparently reluctant to continue.

"Well?" he prompts, if for no other reason than to get it over with. "What's got you pissed off now?"

"How... can I... help..."

The delivery is like he hissed it through gritted teeth, despite having no mouth with which to do so. Lenny finds it amusing enough to lift his mood.

"Ahahaha! You finally admitted to wanting to help me! Now say the magic words!"

"The what?"

"The magic words! There are three of them!"

"God, I hate you."

"Oooh, so close! The only way you can help me is with magic, so you'd better figure it out! Here's a hint... I..."

"I..?"

Lenny rolls a long L and waits for Lepi to catch on. It's apparent in his glare when he figures it out.

"I'm not saying that."

"Sure you are!"

"No."

"But it's the truth!"

"Why are you so obnoxiously certain?"

Lenny takes a pause before turning his head and putting a hand up to where his ear lies under his helmet.

"Huh? Did you just call me "obnoxiously cute"?"

"No, I did not, nor would I ever."

"Huuuuh? Did you just say "yes, I did, I adore you"?"

"You know for a fact that wasn't what I--"

"You looooooove me?"

"I am about five more seconds of being forced to hear your voice from laying hands on you and turning you into an insect."

Lenny gives him three generous seconds of silence.

"What's this about you wanting to lay hands on me?" he breaks it with. "How naughty."

There is no warning given when Lepi lunges at him, but Lenny was already quite prepared to run. Being chased through his cluttered little home is a bit of a hassle, but it's certainly preferable to running from Lepi in his own domain, where he can change the landscape as he pleases.

"Don't worry, Life, I'm very flattered!" he shouts as he's running. "I think it's cute how much you like me!"

"I DON'T fucking like you! You KNOW I hate you!"

They loop back around into the kitchen in no time at all and Lenny stops right in front of Lepi, just to see what he'll do.

"Then why do you keep trying so hard to be involved in my life?" he asks. "It's like you can't stop yourself from nursing a baby bird back to health. There's nothing to be gained from trying to mend wings that are no longer there. Are you expecting it to be able to fly just because you put in the effort?"

Lepi doesn't follow through on his threat. Lenny thinks he might when he lifts his hands, but he just gently grabs Lenny's arms with them, as if to keep him from running away again.

"I'm not stupid enough to believe that there are such things as "magic words" that could cure you," he says.

"No, that was a joke. But it'd be nice to hear them for the first time."

Lenny doesn't even realize he shouldn't have let that slip until several seconds after the fact. He'd heard it from family and he'd heard it as a bold-faced lie from people who were only interested in using him, and he suppresses the urge to clarify that. It's true, though, that he's never heard it from someone who really knew him, and really meant it.

"If I say it, I won't mean it. Do you understand?"

Lenny understands Lepi's version of lying.

"Yes, you won't mean it," Lenny lies himself.

"I... love you."

He isn't able to make eye contact while he says it. He insisted that he would never feel that way, and said just now that he wouldn't mean it if he said it. Yet, Lenny's mind doesn't work quite like it should, after all. It just sounds like a warm, comforting truth to him.

"And I knew it all along!" Lenny cheers, removing the tension from the air. He is unwilling, for now, to find out what would happen if he were to say it back and discover that he means it too.

What a terrible trap they've both fallen into.


End file.
